The fish that was almost an amphibian !!!

[Reggie]

Anyone in this forum keeping lungfishes ? I've been crazy about them for about a year and half now . I currently keep one south american and two african species. I got a new Canon D60 that I would like to play around with so I'll take pictures this weekend and post them here. If you have them or had them , please post pictures and your stories with them !!

[SkeletalFrog]

Not currently, but back when I was doing my biology BS, I was assisting a MS student who was working on their locomotion in different viscosities and over land (papers forthcoming). It was all Protopterus (mostly annectens and one dolloi), pretty sizable ones too. Fun fish, I might do some work with them soon, if I get the chance.

[findiviglio]

I have in the past; wonderful fish. In Japan, I was able to see Australian Lungfishes in several aquariums...one group gorged on plantains. Recently as part of some exhibit work I was doing for the Maritime Aq in CT, I arranged for a large African to be sent there...it's a highlight with visitors. Here's an article I wrote awhile back:
Lungfishes - the Natural History and Care of Prehistoric Fishes - Part 1 | That Fish Blog

Best, Frank

[SkeletalFrog]

Nice article, though I would offer one small correction - some recent lines of evidence suggest that the lung evolved first, to oxygenate the heart, and only later did it develop into a swim-bladder in some fishes. Dr. Farmer has done some excellent work on it recently, including this paper: http://www.biologia.ufrj.br/labs/labpoly/Farmer1999.pdf